US leading from behind on calls for Assad's ouster

We were quick enough to call for Hosni Mubarak to step down in Egypt. Tossing a long time ally to the wolves was something the Obama administration found easy to do.
But something gets caught in our throat when it comes to calling for Assad to take a very long walk off a very short pier.
Fox News:
One week after officials put out the word that the Obama administration would call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly passed up the opportunity to do just that.
Clinton, speaking alongside Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Tuesday at a forum in Washington, D.C., defended the U.S. response to Syria and Libya. And she suggested the time was not yet ripe to go public with a call for Assad's ouster or resignation.
"I am a big believer in results over rhetoric," Clinton said, when asked whether the administration would call on Assad to relinquish power. She noted that she wants to know that other nations in the region are on board in a...(Read Full Post)